It is an ever-fixed mark
by witchrose
Summary: After the Battle and her banishment form Erebor, Billa still keeps in contact with a number of the Dwarrow with whom she Journeyed across Middle-Earth. How will her Dwarrow react when Billa's letters stop coming? FemBibo
1. Chapter 1

Authors note: I am still working on Too Late Now. This is just something that came to me last night.

In the five year since the Battle of Five Armies Billa and Bofur corresponded regularly. Although their correspondence was hindered by the fact that Bofur's reading skills were atrocious, so much so that he had Bifur read them to him, for although Bifur could no longer speak westeron he could read it quite well and read it he did.

Their correspondence was so regular in fact that when two moons passed without a letter from the hobbit-lass both Bofur and Bifur began to feel uneasy. Perhaps they had offended her in some way? They chastised themselves heavily for their imagined slight until one day when a distressed Ori came to see them.

"Have ye heard from Billa lately? I know you two are the only others who correspond with her. Have you had a letter? I haven't in two months and I'm becoming very worried" Ori was yanking his braids through his speech, a sure sign of his concern.

Bifur and Bofur looked at each other in alarm. Why had they not thought to ask Ori? Perhaps they had been wallowing in self-pity and loathing when their Hobbit was in distress.

"Well?"

"No lad, we haven't"

"Something must be wrong, very very wrong"

"but what?"

"We'll just have to find out then, shan't we"

And so Bofur, Bifur and Ori started planning a second quest. One that did not encompass a dragon but which they faced with as much dread as if it did, for only a terrible occurrence would stop Bilberry Baggins from writing to her Dwarrow.


	2. Chapter 2

Ori, as head scribe of Erebor, knew that he could not leave at the drop of a hat so he used his influence to get Bofur and Bifur permits to leave the mountain. Ostensibly for a trip to the Blue Mountains to visit their kin, only Ori knew otherwise. At least Ori thought he was the only one who knew otherwise.

When the company stood at the gates of Erebor, having just said their farwells to the travelling pair, Bombur pulled Ori aside "tell me the real reason my brother and my cousin are leaving the safety of our mountain?" Ori just gaped at him "what do you mean? They are going to the Blue Mountains to visit kin."

"Don't give me that Ori, I may not be smart, but I know the only kin we three have in the Blue Mountains is our second cousin Bufar, whom both Bifur and Bofur hate with a passion. So spill"

"You are aware that Bofur, Bifur and I correspond with Billa?"

This time it was Bombur's time to look surprised "No, If I'd known I would have asked to be remembered to her and if I could have the recipe for those delicious honey cakes we had back at her hole in the ground. Do you remember Ori… the beat honey cakes I'd ever tasted, with just a hint of nutmeg and…."

"Yes, I remember" interrupted Ori impatiently. When Bombur got to talking about food he could go on for hours and Ori did not have that time to spare "The point is that Billa's letters are like clockwork, they come once a month, every month, without fail for the past five years and then suddenly they stopped"

Bombur looked at him with horror "and you think?"

"Yes, Bofur, Bifur and I think that something terrible has happened to our Hobbit.


	3. Chapter 3

It was a long journey to the Shire, made shorter by the speed of the two travellers both of whom thought haste necessary.

When they arrived they were treated with stony looks from the usually friendly Hobbits. When they asked for directions to Bag-End they were ignored by somewhat teary Hobbits. One even when so far as to openly chastise them "How dare you show your face around here after what you've done!" She shrieked "A disgrace, it is, do any of you Dwarves have any sense of decency?" quite a crowd had gathered to view the scene, a hobbit woman continued shrieking at the two Dwarrow until an old Hobbit intervened

"That is enough Lobelia!"

"But Thain Isengar surely…."

"No Lobelia, it is incredibly unlikely that either of these two Dwarrow are at fault. If they are coming to see my granddaughter, they are under my protection." Here he raised his voice and addressed the gathered Hobbits "now clear off, the lot of you, is this scene of such interest that you would miss elevenses?"

When the crowd had dissipated, the Hobbit turned and faced the two Dwarrow "you two must be Bofur and Bifur… I've heard of you from her stories" he added the last part when the Dwarrow gave him a look of shock "Isengar Took, Thain of the Shire and grandfather of the one you seek, at your service"

"Bofur, at yours"

_"Bifur, at yours"_

"I will take you to my granddaughter on one condition. You do not say anything of _him, _not one word"

Both knew which 'him' the old hobbit meant. The 'him' who had claimed to love the hobbit-lass passionately, had asked her to be his wife but had, on her attempts to protect them by using the arkenstone as surety in her negotiations with the Elves and Men, cut off he courting braids with his Sword and attempted to throw her off the gates of Erebor as she sobbed out her love for him, despite him madness. 'him who had not called for the hobbit after the battle, who had not lifted the banishment, had maintained the claim that the hobbit were to leave Erebor and its surrounds and that no friendship of his went with her. There was no doubt that when the old Hobbit spoke of 'him', he meant Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror, King Under the Mountain.


	4. Chapter 4

The elderly hobbit led them through the windy streets of Hobbiton, passed the neat little hobbit-holes until they reached one that looked vaguely familiar. He rested his hand on the knocker before hesitating and turning to the Dwarrow.

"remember – not a word about _him._ Unless she asks questions. She's always asking questions, still" he continued with a grim smile before turning and knocking on the green wooden door, once, twice, three times.

The door was then opened by a bonnie young hobbit lass with a fauntling at her hip. She surveyed the Dwarrow with a shrewd penetrating look before turning to the Thain "Are you sure this is wise Granfer?"

"No Primula, I am not." He replied with a sigh "but there is not much more harm they can do. Is there?"

The hobbit, Primula, hefted the hobbit – babe up higher on her hip and stood back to let them pass. Bifur and Bofur noticed the tears beginning to well in her eyes as she did so and a look of concern passed between them.

The Thain led the Dwarrow through their friends home until he stopped them in front of a solid oak door. "I will go in and let her know you are here". He opened the door a crack and slipped inside, leaving the cousins on the threshold to try and make out the conversation being made within. "You have some visitors my dear" spoke the Thain in a soft voice. The soft voice alarmed Bifur perhaps more than anything else up to this point. The dwarf knew that most only spoke in this fashion to animals, babes or the sick and dying. "No, my Strawberry, 'tis not Lobelia…. Yes, I know she's not allowed in your smial, so does Prim…. Yes I'll send them in…. try not to strain yourself my love" and with that, the door opened and Bofur and Bifur were ushered inside.


	5. Chapter 5

The first thing Bofur noticed on entering the room was how bright and sunny it seemed, quite the antithesis of a sick- room and far from what he imagined when faced with the sadly spoken Thain and the teary Primula. There were flowers in every corner of the room, providing bursts of colour. The curtains surrounding the small rounded windows were pulled back, sunshine spilling across the floor and the bed. Bofur's gaze was then directed to the small bed and what he saw there shocked him, he looked hoping to see their burglar but the person in the bed was a far cry from the bubbly cheerful hobbit-lass who had accompanied them on their journey. Billa's once rosy skin was almost translucent in its paleness, her once glorious tawny locks brittle and greasy looking, the cheeks that used to so remind him of apples were sunken and hollow-looking. Their strong, fearless burglar, their hobbit-lass who rode barrels and riddled with dragons, so full of vitality and life was frail and wan looking. Only her eyes showed a glimpse of what once was, the green orbs sparkling as she beheld them.

"Bofur, Bifur, I am so glad you are come" She held her paper-thin hands out to them in greeting, each was soon encased in the larger, more calloused hand of a dwarf cousin. "I am sorry I have not written, but you must forgive me… and Ori too, Ori must also forgive me" she said, her voice raspy and weak, her eyes turned up to them pleading-like.

"Aye Lass, course we do" This was coupled with a resounding nod from Bifur.

"I am so glad you are come" She repeated "You will stay, won't you" She beseeched "I have so longed for you to visit, letters are not quite the same you see and I so wanted to see you both before I go, and dear Ori too but I suppose he could not get away" she spoke with a slight frown. "I would have liked to have seen all of you but there is no time for that now. If I could have seen any of the company before I go, I am glad it is you both"

"Go Lass?"

"I am leaving on another adventure" She whispered, smiling weakly at the two Dwarrow "Yes…. Another adventure ….. I quite like the sound of that"

**TAEFM**

The Dwarrow spoke to their Hobbit of Erebor and of the company, answering their burglars questions and posing a few of their own before the Hobbit drifted into an uneasy sleep but not before extracting from each of her Dwarrow, the promise that they would be there when she awoke.

_"Can nothing be done?" _

Bofur relayed Bifur's question to the Thain as they sat in Billa's well-appointed dining room nursing an ale each.

"Nothing" replied the aged-hobbit "It is not an illness – although we thought it such at first - a wasting disease, there was a quarantine placed over the house, no-one but myself and Drogo, Prim's husband dared come near before that Elf showed up"

"Elf?" enquired Bofur

"One Lord Elrond of Rivendell, turns out our lass has friends in high places" He chuckled wryly "The lass had sent him a letter you see, him being a healer and all, determined to find out what was wrong with her, told him her symptoms and everything"

"and?" prompted Bofur

"Has Billa ever told you the history of the Tooks? No? … There is a well-known story round these parts saying that the Tooks are descended from Fae, no one ever really believed it though, thought to be a fairy story. But then this Lord Elrond arrives and tells us that while the Tooks are not related to the Fae, they are in fact related to the Elves" Here, he paused taking in the dumbstruck expressions on the faces of his audience "That was my reaction too, but it makes sense, doesn't it? Our feet are smaller than normal hobbits, our ears pointier, we have an especially green thumb, a wanderlust not found in other hobbits and we are taller too, In fact our forefather the great Bullroarer Took was able to ride a horse of man without difficulty. It turns out that we're actually related to Elrond in some way too convoluted for even us Hobbits to keep track of"

Here he took breath and surveyed the two Dwarrow with such heart-break in his eyes "You're probably wondering what this happens to do with Bilberry… Well, Bilberry's a Took, on her mother's side. Her mother was my daughter Belladonna, making Bilberry part Elf. Now Elves mate for life, bit like lobsters really, and only give their heart once. When a heart is given but the love is not reciprocated it is not uncommon that the Elf simply slips away"

Bifur stood abruptly almost sending the table flying. His face twisted in both anguish and anger, his voice harsh as he rumbled in Dwarvish to his cousin _"I need to leave…. to clear my head. I will be back by morning"_ He stumbled to the door and slipped into the night. In the morning some of the residents of Hobbiton would gather to complain to Farmer Maggot of the ruckus his dog made in the night, although the good Farmer would forever swear that his hound made nary a peep, it remains that an anguished howling was heard in the vicinity of Bag-shot Row.

Bofur turned to the old Hobbit "He's just gone to clear his head, maybe punch a few things. Mahal knows I would like to hit something." He clenched his fists as if to illustrate his point. "So when did this slipping away start?"

"Shortly after she returned from her 'adventure' as she calls it. The Elves call it fading for a reason, Each day she just got more tired and more weak and sickly looking, but she carried on, continued doing all as she did before. Then one day she collapsed in the market place and could not get up. It's surprising that she's held on this long really. Elrond thinks it's your letters, yours and that Ori fellows. Each time she opened one it was as if life was breathed into her, if only for a short while and for that I want to thank you both, the Took family is in your debt, should you ever be in need of aid call on the Hobbits of Tuckborough and they will answer."

Bofur had been trying very hard not to cry this evening, but at this he broke down and outright sobbed. The Dwarrow are normally a stout, stone-faced race who despised the telegraphing of sentiment amongst strangers, but Bofur new that none of his friends could fault him on his lack of composure, for if they were here, they surely would be crying too, that or attempting to murder Thorin.


	6. Chapter 6

The two Dwarves stayed a week in Billa's cosy smial watching in dismay as she grew more pale and withdrawn and her breathing became more laboured and shallow, Occasionally, when telling her of Erebor and the other members of the company, her eyes would sparkle and her face would become animated, much like the Billa of old. These episodes of liveliness came with a price, for afterwards Billa would look worse. It was not many days past a full week when Billa summoned each those in her house to her side.

"It is time" she whispered "For my next adventure" Primula let out a sob from the corner and Billa smiled at her weakly "I should like to make arrangements before I leave this time, so there will be no confusion. I wrote this some time ago" she clutched a piece of parchment to her chest "Hamfast and his wife witnessed it, so there can be no mistakes" She drew a short rattling breath "My smial and all of my possesions, save a few, are to go to Primula and Drogo, my mithril shirt and my sword to their son Frodo, for when he is of age" She then turned to the two Dwarrow "My chest of treasure is to be taken back to Erebor and given to Balin, tell him it is a donation, he shall know what to do with it. You both must promise me, not to tell anyone of my passing save if they ask. I don't want to be made a fuss of" she closed her eyes for a moment and opened her fist which had previously been closed as to shield something from view "I wish you to have these" she said "but only if you wish to"

Bofur and Bifur stared at the objects in her hand "What are they lass?"

Billa turned to her grandfather who looked back at her with tears streaming down his face "They are adoption bracelets, an ancient Hobbit custom, this is Billa's way of asking if she can be your family" said he

The two dwarrow reached out and plucked the bracelets from the hobbits hand before attaching them to their large wrists.

"We've considered you family for some time Lass" said Bofur tearfully

"There is one for Ori too, should he accept it. It is in my book. My book is to go to Ori. Granfer will give you my book when I am gone, won't you Granfer?"

"Course I will my Strawberry" said the Thain

"I am glad…. I think that is everything" she said with a rattling sigh as she closed her eyes "I am so very tired" As she drifted into an uneasy slumber she muttered "I quite forgot, Lobelia gets the silverware"


	7. Chapter 7

It was with great sadness that Hobbiton mourned the passing of Billberry Baggins, daughter of Bungo and Belladonna. She was buried under a small acorn tree in the front garden of her smial, one that Bofur and Bifur could not remember being there before their journey. The burial was the talk of Hobbiton for some time after the event, for never before had there been Elves, Dwarves and a Wizard present at a Hobbit's passing. Gandalf the grey stood sadly by the freshly dug grave of his burglar, mourning the loss of his small friend, who was to give him courage now? Bofur and Bifur knelt by the grave of their friend, now sister and wept heavily for a life cut short too soon. Lord Elrond stood and paid tribute to the gentle soul who now rested beneath the earth and mused on the inscription the Dwarrow had placed on the marble headstone.

**Here lies Bilberry Baggins**

**Beloved Burglar **

**She who riddled with danger**

**And fought dragons **

**To bring others home**

**And whose only fault**

**Was loving too much**

Bilberry was buried covered in flowers with a bead of the Ur family braided in her hair, thus drawing her closer to her beloved Dwarrow, even in death.


	8. Chapter 8

the other members of the company who were anxious to see their friends again after such a long time. The other Dwarrow were shocked to see the normally cheerful Bofur so subdued, It was as if a flame had been snuffed out. Bifur was silent as usual.

"How did you find your kin in the blue mountains? All well I trust" questioned Gloin when they had all sat down to supper later that evening.

Bifur fixed him with a long, hard stare "_The kin we went to seek is dead" _He rumbled, pulling back his hair to expose the braid of mourning behind his ear.

At this Ori, who had been trying to think of some other reasonable explanation as to Bofur's unhappiness, went into hysterics and had to be led away by Dori. His sobs echoing down the stone corridors long after the pair had left the dining room.

At Bifur's revelation the members of the company stilled and bowed their heads, the passing of kin amongst Dwarves was a terrible thing. Thorin spoke softly from the head of the table "I am sorry for your loss"

"As you should be" snarled Bofur with malice before slamming his tankard on the table and standing to leave "As you damn well should be" and with that he left the room, leaving a very confused King Under the Mountain. Bifur soon followed giving the King a harsh glare before quitting the room.

The remaining Dwarrow looked to Bombur for an explanation as to his kin's strange behaviour to the King. All Bombur did was to push away his plate and declare that he was "not hungry" and to tearfully follow his kin from the room.

This furthered the suspicions of the remaining Dwarves, for never before had Bombur ever refused food.

**TAEFM**

Balin had catalogued every single item of treasure that had left the mountain's treasury after the death of Smaug, so when he received an anonymous donation of treasure containing jewels he remembered having set aside for members of the company he decided to check their source. He soon wished he hadn't. When the name B. Baggins stared out at him from the ledger he thought he had gotten it wrong and checked several times. How could Billa's small share of treasure have made its way back to the mountain? Then suddenly everything fell into place.

Balin knew of the enmity existing between the cousins and their last remaining relative in the Blue Mountains and had been sceptical when they arranged a visit. Balin was a very smart Dwarf but he could have kicked himself for being so blind. Why would Ori have been so hysterical at the passing of some unknown Dwarf? Sure he was sensitive, but not that much. Balin knew that the others had been corresponding with their Hobbit, he had even asked Ori to include his regards a few times. And now Billa's treasure had shown up on his desk and Balin was sure that the Hobbit-Lass was no more.

Balin spent the rest of the day sobbing into his beard. Visitors were barred from his study, even Thorin was turned away when he sought to gain entry, anxious for his friend and advisor.

When Bifur saw Balin's red rimmed eyes the next day he confirmed the elderly Dwarfs suspicions. The Lass Balin had looked on as a daughter was gone. "How?" he asked "She was so young, just passed her majority"

_"She faded, like the elves"_

A look of comprehension dawned on Balin's face, few in Erebor understood the ways of the elves more than he. "Thorin?"

_"Aye, but we're not to tell, not unless someone asks after the Lass, or first works it out themselves"_

There was little Balin could do, he would not go against the Lass's final wishes but nor did he wish to let Thorin go unpunished.

Needless to say Thorin was surprised when he was handed lots of tedious paperwork to read through and complete and was more than a little frustrated when his chief advisor proved difficult to find over the next week.


	9. Chapter 9

Bombur, who had been given the details of the Lass's passing was saddened deeply. He too could not imagine going on living if his wife were to reject him. He too sought to honour the Lass's final wish but to punish Thorin for throwing away such a jewel as would never grace Middle-Earth, let alone Erebor again. Needless to say Thorin was not happy when his dinner, which had heretofore consisted of all his favourites, suddenly included none of them but rather every single dish that he hated seemed to be placed near him at dinner. He could not think for the life of him, what he had done to offend his Kingdom's greatest cook.

**TAEFM**

Nori was used to being suspicious, in his trade you had to be suspicious of everyone. He was not however, used to being suspicious of his baby brother, whose face was generally an open book to him. Ori had become cut off from the rest of the world, had been neglecting his duties as head scribe to read some silly book. Nori had often watched him read it, silently from the shadows he watches his brothers emotions flicker from joy to sadness, from happiness to tears in a single second.

So one day, whilst Ori is gone, he takes the book from its hiding place under Ori's bed – truly would that boy ever learn, that's the first place thieves look - and reads the title aloud "There and Back Again: An Unexpected Journey by Bilberry Baggins." He looks up when he senses someone's eyes on him only to see Ori's alarmed features looking at him from the doorway. "Where did you get this brother?" He brandishes the book, his eyes never leaving Ori's face, he can tell when Ori is lying.

Ori's face suddenly crumbles and he shuts the door behind him "Billa left it to me in her will?"

"Her will?"

And so Nori learnt of the passing of Billa Baggins and Dori as well, for when Ori opened the door after acquainting one brother with the facts, what should he find but the other standing there. His crotchet needles on the floor at his feet and his face stained with tears, Dori finally learned why it is said that eavesdroppers seldom hear good things.

Needless to say Thorin was very irate when important things started disappearing from his rooms and even more so when he went to have a new winter coat fitted and found himself stabbed with so many needles during the fitting that he almost could have fancied himself a Dwarvish pincushion.

**TAEFM**

Oin found out when he went to ask Bofur if he could ask Billa in his next letter for the recipe of a herbal remedy she had used on the journey, only to be met with a blank face. On petitioning Ori instead, the younger Dwarf explained to him slowly and tearfully why he could not do so. Oin was so distraught at the news that he 'accidently' swapped the King's headache relief potion with sugar water for the next month.

Some weeks later when Gloin mentioned to his brother how well his son Gimli looked in red, he was shocked when his brother broke down sobbing "to think that our strong little burglar could be dead". Oin's terrible hearing had exposed Billa's secret and Gloin did not rest till he knew the whole story and then he made sure that he was sat near Thorin every night at dinner and further elaborated on how well Gimli looked in red and blue and green, in fact Gimli looked well in every colour…..

**TAEFM**

Dwalin was no fool, as the King's personal guard he noticed how the others were acting towards their sovereign. It was his job to notice changes in routine in case they revealed threats to the Throne. Dwalin could not imagine a member of the company wanting to harm the King, least of all his own brother, so he asked Balin the cause of the unrest. He was not prepared for the answer. Had he not trained the Hobbit-lass to stand-down any foe? Had he not made sure she would be prepared when enemies came knocking? But sometimes love can be an enemy, one against there is no fighting back.

Thorin felt particularly hard done by when Dwalin woke him up at all hours of the night to 'train'. Apparently Thorin's enemies didn't sleep, so why should he?.


	10. Chapter 10

Fili and Kili left the mountain in the spring to go and visit their mother in Ered Luin. After spending quality time with their Amad, they decided to take the scenic route back and visit and old friend.

They were quite surprised to see a different hobbit open the door to Billa's home.

Primula looked them up and down sadly "You are here to see Bilberry?"

"Aye, that we are Mistress?"

"Fili"

"and Kili"

"at your service" they finished in unison, performing their most courtly bows with an air of the dramatic.

"I can see why she liked you" Primula smiled wistfully "You'll find her under the acorn tree in the front yard" she nodded to the left of the garden.

What Fili and Kili found beneath the acorn tree was not what they had expected at all.

When the brothers returned to Erebor, Thorin was amazed to see how quiet the boys seemed. They went about their duties as expected of princes of the house of Durin and the number of pranks played under the mountain fell almost to zero. If Thorin noticed this, or the fact that his nephews seemed to be going out of their way to avoid him, perhaps he falsely attributed it to the fact that they were growing up.

The other Dwarrow of the company attributed the boys morose attitude to the correct quarter; grief at the death of a most beloved friend, a woman who had been almost as close as a mother to them, a woman who had almost been their Aunt.

**TAEFM**

It was Ori who realised that every member of the company, save its leader, knew of their fallen comrade. He then approached Dori about the possibility of holding a party in her honour, it was with tears in his eyes that the silver-haired hobbit readily acquiesced to his brothers request.

The air in House of the brothers Ri was heavy with sadness as all the company, save one, sat around the heavy stone table staring morosely into their ale. Ori was upset, this was not how he wanted it to go at all, this was supposed to be a night for remembering Billa, their friend, not a night to remember her loss.

Bofur looked up and caught the scribes eye and a look of understanding passed between them. The miner stood up swiftly, a motion which drew the attention of all the dwarrow in the room. "The Lass wouldn't have wanted us like this ya know" He said as the hand holding his ale shook "She was ready for death, called it 'her next big adventure', and here are we, great bunch of sooks mourning her parting rather than celebrating a life lived" Here the normally quiet-spoken Dwarf started to raise his voice "I for one am sick of crying over what I cannot change, so I am going to celebrate my sister in the best way I can and if you - JACKSIES won't join in you'll be finding coal dust in your slippers for a long while to come!" and with that he downed his ale and slammed the tankard on the table.

The assembled Dwarrow looked at the hatted- dwarf in shock before one by one they stood, downed their ale and slammed their tankards on the table before looked around at each other.

"Now what?" exclaimed Kili

_"We remember" _rumbled Bifur

"I'll go first" exclaimed Bombur "Billa Baggins, Barrel Rider ….. could make the most delicious honey cakes I've ever tasted…. And believe you me, that's saying something"

"Aye, we know" interrupted Nori with a cheeky grin "We've seen how you inhale honey cakes!" The thief had to duck as a cake was thrown at him by the rounded Dwarf who had surprisingly good aim.

"Oh Pish!" Said Bomber "and the lass could peel an apple in one long strip…."

"Not apples, please, anything but apples"

"Shut up Fili!" chastised Bomber, grabbing another cake off the table and throwing it at the crown prince, the icing smeared in his moustache. Of course Fili could not let that stand, he grabbed a plate of food of the table and return fired only for Bombur to duck and the plate to hit Dwalin, the food splattering on his face and the china smashing as it hit the floor…..

"That does it!" exclaimed Dwalin, grabbing fistfuls of trifle and lobbing them towards the Bombur and Fili only for them to hit Bifur and Kili, only for them to retaliate with Kili screaming "FOOD FIIIIIIIIIGHT!".

When all the food was covering walls, floor, ceiling and company, the Dwarrow sat amongst the mess and told tales of their burglar, their beloved Billberry Baggins. They honoured her so well that the ever meticulous Dori could not even be mad at the state of his dining room.

**-TAEFM-**

**Author's note: sorry for the long gap between updates, hope you are all well :) **

**As a sorry from me for the wait ... go to google , type in "Richard Armitage Love Poems" and follow the links , you'll find a free download of an audio book of Richard Armitage (Thorin in the Hobbit trilogy) reading classic love poems that I found the other day , and if you listen closely you might even be able to find the one which includes a line, after which this story is named **

**Also I'm pretty sure the next chapter will be the last so stay tuned for Thorin finding out ... Or should he never find out ? What do you think?**


	11. Chapter 11

Balin was puzzled. Despite the fact that the company was actively going out of their way to avoid Thorin and if they were by chance to meet him in one of the many corridors of the lonely mountain, would act borderline rudely toward him, their King did not even seem to notice. In fact Thorin appeared to be rather cheerful.

One afternoon he ambushed Balin in the corridor as he made his way to the dining hall, ushering him into his study. The King Under the Mountain seemed anxious.

"Balin do you think perhaps that….. I mean that now that ….." The King faltered but collected himself when Balin raised an eyebrow at him "Balin, do you think that the reparation of Erebor is sufficient that should visitors see it they would be impressed" Thorin blurted out before staring at his advisor hopefully.

Balin considered this for a moment "Aye Lad, that I do. The restoration of the upper levels is almost complete and the lower levels would not be viewed by visitors anyway unless they wished to inspect the mines. It is doubtful that any outside visitors will have seen Erebor before it's fall so they would be unable to compare it unfavourably with what it was before"

At Balin's pronouncement Thorin's normally grim face broke into a smile, such as smile that the elderly Dwarrow had not seen in five years, a smile that could melt a candle with it's warmth and brightness. "You have my thanks my friend". With that Thorin did something that confused Balin even further, He grabbed his advisor by the shoulders and touched their foreheads together before grabbing a scrap of parchment from his desk, flinging the door wide and almost running out of the room. Balin stuck his head around the door and and watched as his King raced down the corridor. It was not until later that Balin realised that Thorin had been headed in the direction of the rookery.

**TAEFM**

For the next week Thorin's happiness seemed to increase exponentially, greatly angering the company who felt that their efforts in avenging their small friend were not working. After two weeks it had dimmed a little, but Balin felt that the King still looked hopeful. After a month the hope had left Thorin's eyes and he appeared to be sulking, locking himself up in his rooms and refusing to talk to anyone, even his sister-sons who temporarily but aside their animosity towards their Uncle in an attempt to get him to open his door.

Thorin eventually went back to his normal routine but only after Dwalin broke his door down whilst brandishing a threatening letter from the Lady Dis. He did so however with very bad grace and was surly and moody with everybody, even perhaps borderline insulting.

It was after Thorin made Ori cry one afternoon that the company decided that this had gone on long enough and decided to confront Thorin about his behaviour. It was decided that Dwalin would be their spokesperson which was perhaps not the best of ideas as Dwalin was much more at home with weapons than with words. Hence he decided that the best way to get the bee out of Thorin's bonnet would be to get his monarch and friend rip- roaring drunk.

**Note:**

**So this is very obviously not the last chapter as I said it would be. **

**Sorry, not sorry**


End file.
